


The lost spirit

by AthenaTheGreekGodess



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst, Death Scene, Graphic Violence, Happy Ending?, Justice, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Revenge, Slow Burn, Some Fluff, a lot of angst im sorry, but it’s also kinda not, but it’s kinda a happy story, detailed death, ghost boy x mc, im sorry, newt is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:02:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaTheGreekGodess/pseuds/AthenaTheGreekGodess
Summary: Thomas remembers the story of the little boy left behind in Scorch town. He didn’t think he’d ever meet that little boy though. Well. Not so little anymore I guess.This is a story about murder, mystery, and love. It’s kind of sad, but it has a happy ending I promise.Inspired by; The lovely bones
Relationships: Brenda/Frypan (Maze Runner), Gally/Ben, Harriet & Aris Jones & Sonya | Elizabeth "Lizzy" (Maze Runner), Minho/Teresa, Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner), Sonya/Harriet, Thomas & chuck
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all another fic, this time with probably slightly better writing lol. I just finished watching the movie ‘The lovely bones’ and it inspired me to make this. Warning; This story is really tense and really graphic. It differs a lot from the plot of lovely bones, but some elements are similar. 
> 
> I will be putting trigger warnings since the entire thing is pretty uh... tense :’) but just read at your own risk and be smart about this please <3 A LOT of this story will probably have some type of trigger warning in it lol. But either way, I hope some ppl find they like it! 
> 
> Not sure yet how long chapters will be. Might get longer as they go, but I guess it just depends how quickly I want to pace this thing. Hopefully I’m able to stay consistent with this.

December 24, 2014

❅

The air was cold. The night was dark. 

Pebbles crunched beneath his boots. The wind howled through the leafless trees. 

The night was all too silent and too loud at once.

Newt tried desperately to block it out. 

“Hey, kid!” 

He spun around, eyes landing on a shadowed figure down the path. Through the pitch dark and silver came a warm yellow glow. 

The shape moved forward. Newt took a step back. 

“Hey, Ey, easy kid. I ain’t gonna hurt ya. You lost?” 

As the figure stepped into view, Newt could just make out his facial features under the glow of the lamp. 

Round, icy blue eyes that looked grey in the cold. A pale, aged face. And a mustache who’s hairs were even lighter than the man's head. 

Everything looked copper under the firelight. 

“No, I’m just on my way home.” 

He absently tugged down the grey beanie protecting his ears from the nipping frost. The snow was blustering by now, so strong that he couldn’t even tell apart his breaths from the wind. 

“Ah, I see.” 

The man hummed, a small welcoming smile playing on his lips. He looked to be in his 40s. Maybe 50s? Definitely American. That wasn’t a surprise. 

“I was comin’ out here to grab some firewood from the shed. Wood inside is all burnt up.” 

All around them, old, withered crops crinkled in the wind. It was a sort of sickly sound, carried across the far hills. The main path Newt walked down now was lined on either side by tall black dying oaks. The trail shrouded in darkness. There were no lamp posts on this section of the trail. 

“Ah. I see.”

He left the words hanging there for a moment. Hesitation on his tongue. He wanted to get home. But at the same time, something inside him told him he should… help out? I mean, this _was_ an old man after all…. 

“Mm...listen, you’re a strong young man. Ah...do- do you think you could help me out with this? I wanna bring back enough wood that I won’t have to come out here again for some time. It’s a long walk to make so often.” 

The old man chattered on, his limbs and hands shaking nervously as he guiltily glanced down. 

Newt couldn’t say no. 

“Yeah, alright. Where’s the shed?” 

He’d make this quick, be home before midnight. 

Midnight for him never came. 

…


	2. Snow day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas Day, the town of Scorch is just waking up

December 25, 2014

☃︎  
“Thomas!! You SHANK!” 

Thomas laughed, narrowly dodging a snowball as it was thrown right at his face. 

“Ooo, missed me!” He taunted jovially, back pressed against a slanted piece of painted wood. 

“Yeah, nice one Thomas! Hurry, gimme amo! Teresa is going _down!_

He turned, quickly scooping a snowball from the massive pile they’d accumulated over the time they spent preparing for this war. He tossed it to Brenda, the raven-haired girl catching it with ease and peering around the slant of wood they hid behind. 

Thomas always loved coming down to this old playground in the winter. It was tucked way off in the run-down part of town, all the greenery around it having turned brown, the fences all rusty and creaky when it got windy. 

To Thomas, it was paradise. 

“Ah shit, I don’t see them! You think they’re hiding under the slide?” 

“Oh definitely. Here, get up top, I’m going to go around to the back of them.” 

Brenda nodded, moving out from under the playground base and grabbing hold of the twisty pole, scaling it in five seconds tops until she was perched primely at the top raising, knelt down and ready to fling at his signal. 

Thomas moved like a ninja, ducking behind some old withered shrubs and basically crawling around the edge of the playground, head low and grabbing snow where he could find it. 

At last, he reached his destination, and sat up to speak into the red microphone that jutted out of the ground. He couldn’t believe these things still worked, but even after years of use, he could still send sneaky messages to his partner in crime. 

“Psssst.” First was the test, of course. 

“Grievers are scary.” Came the reply, short and to the point. 

Ah yes, their ancient traditional code-phrase to let each know who was speaking. 

“Cranks are worse.” Came his reply, quick as ever. He heard Brenda rolling her eyes on the other end, but she quickly re-focused back on the mission. 

“I can see them in there. I think they’re plotting something. I don’t know if they’ve seen me yet.” 

Thomas peeked out from behind his bush, able to see the edge of a pink jacket poking out through one of the holes in the slides belly. 

Yep, target acquired. 

“Hey Brenda.”   
“Yeah?”   
“I got an idea.”   
“I’m listening.”   
“You have the buckets and stuff with you?”   
“Yep, they’re over by our snowman.”   
“Alright, cool. You see those holes, in the side of the slide?”  
“Ah...I think I’m catching on.” 

Suffice to say, them tossing two buckets filled with freezing snow straight into their hiding place did not sit well with them.

Teresa barely got out before the worst of it hit, since she was on watch duty. But she totally left Minho a sitting duck, who got absolutely _dunked_ on. 

“I hate you! I hate you both!” He came out basically crying, sniffling as he tried to shake off whatever he could. 

“Aww, c’mon Minho! It’s War, remember? And in war, you need to do whatever you can to- ARGH-“ 

Thomas was cut off as a small angry gremlin crashed into his side, knocking him right over and face first into the snow. 

“YOU WILL NOT WIN FOUL BEAST!” Teresa grabbed his hood and shoved his face into the snow over and over again. To be honest, it was quite graphic. Thankfully she wasn’t _actually_ trying to kill him, but in the moment it sure felt like it. 

“KIDS!” 

They all stopped, Thomas gasping and ripping his head away from the snow to stare at the figure on the other side of the fence. 

It was Mary, him and Teresa’s mother.   
She’d been watching them today, and had left them at the playground while she went to grab them all food. But there was no food in her hands now. 

“Yeah?” They all spoke in unison, obvious hesitation lining their voices. Were they in trouble? Did they do something wrong? 

Thomas couldn’t describe the look on Mary’s face then. She looked...relieved? But why? 

“Oh thank goodness. Come on, come over here, it’s time to head home now. I need to have a talk with you guys.” 

They all scrambled to their feet, curious but silent as they packed into Mary’s car and drove to their house. He couldn’t explain it, but somehow they all knew to be so quiet in that moment. It was just… a feeling. 

When they got home, Mary sat them on the couch and turned to face them with a grim smile. 

“The reason why I came to get you guys in such a hurry is because…” she sucked in a tight, short breath. “There’s been a kidnapping in this town. This part of town, even.” All four of them gasped, their eyes blowing wide with shock. 

“A kidnapping?!” “What happened?” “Who got taken??” “Are they dead? Did they find them yet?” 

An onslaught of questions came spewing from their mouths, all of which Mary hushed with a strong clap. 

“I don’t know much. Please, don’t be panicked. All that I know is that a little boy around your ages was walking home last night alone and he went missing. The parents believe he was kidnapped due to the fact he’s never run away before, but the police are still looking into it. I’m telling you kids this because you need to know to be safe, at all times, and always stick together. Never run off alone, especially at night, and never follow a stranger ANYWHERE for ANY reason. From now on, I won’t be leaving you kids alone to go and play. I’m going to call your parents and let them know what’s going on and let them know what I told you, alright? Everyone just sit tight and try not to worry.” 

Mary looked between Brenda and Minho with a grim smile before turning and heading off to the kitchen. They heard her voice trail off as she spoke softly with their parents. 

The kids were silent for a while, until Teresa broke the tense air. 

“I can’t believe...that boy never even got to see Christmas this year….” 

Suddenly, their earlier fun playing in the snow today seemed...sour.

Mary had specially taken the kids out for a snow trip this morning so they could play and have fun on Christmas Day. Later tonight, they’d all swap presents and then go home, having a happy Christmas with their close families. 

How could Thomas have a happy Christmas, knowing some boy is missing? In his very town? 

“What if there’s a murderer.” He spoke softly, his eyes wide. “And they took that boy last night!” 

The others looked alarmed, but Brenda tried to desperately rationalize the situation. 

“Mary s-said that there’s no confirmation the boy was taken technically. M-maybe he really did just run away.” 

“Right before Christmas Day? In the middle of the night? Walking home alone?” Teresa pressed, her face a mix of horrified and despairing. 

“I-I- m-maybe-“

“I don’t wanna talk about this anymore!” Minho announced suddenly, and for the first time Thomas realized that he was crying. 

“Oh. Im sorry Minho-“ 

Teresa tentatively reached out to touch his shoulder, but he flinched away. “IM FINE!” He roared, prompting Mary to come back in. 

“Minho, dear, are you alright?” 

When she saw his tear-streaked face her expression turned sympathetic, and she gently offered him the chance to talk to his parents over the phone. 

When he was gone, Thomas only had one thought left. 

“She said he was around our age…”

That meant he was only 10. That's so….sad… 

And so, Christmas in the town of Scorch was extra cold that year. 

...


End file.
